S.W.A.T.'s Lina Esco is an Action Star and Activist

Some people know Lina Esco from her work on screen—she's starred in television shows like Kingdom, Flaked, and Cane—while others might be more familiar with her activist work. Esco has lent her name to a number of causes, from animal welfare to human rights, but is perhaps best associated with Free the Nipple, the gender-equality campaign she helped found in 2012. Today, she’s working on exciting new projects in both areas.

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This month, Esco will star in S.W.A.T, a new series premiering November 2 that follows an elite unit of Los Angeles police officers as they deal with the city’s most complex and dangerous crimes. The series, which is based on the 2003 film of the same name, also stars Shemar Moore and Stephanie Sigman. Off camera, Esco is working on a new project called The Human Campaign, a political platform dedicated to helping pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Here, she talks to T&C about acting, activism, and how she strives to succeed in both.

Lina Esco in S.W.A.T.

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You’re playing a police officer named Christina Alonso, who’s the only woman on her S.W.A.T. team. How did the part come about?

The casting director who cast me on Flaked, a Netflix series I did, brought me in. I honestly didn’t think I would get it. Sometimes you go in the room and do certain things and it feels like people don’t get what you’re going for. But then I got called back and was there with the director and we bonded; I felt then like I could see myself doing this. The important thing for me when I read scripts is how much respect I have for the character and how far I can take her—this was definitely a person I felt connected to and I think that came through.

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What about the character made you feel that connection?

I’m playing the only female officer on the entire team. I thought about the responsibility I have in portraying this role, and that no matter who’s watching it I have to portray her as someone equal to all of the guys on her team. I’ve been standing up for women’s rights for a long time, and this couldn’t have come for me at a better time. The way she’s written, her dialogue, could be said by a man—that’s what I love about the show, that what’s written for her could have been written for any of the characters. This is the way I’ve always wanted to see women portrayed. I want everyone watching this to think, wow, she’s so badass. That’s the responsibility I have for her.

It’s a very active role. What kind of training did you have to go through to play someone in her line of work?

I’ve been boxing for eight years. It’s a sport I’ve gravitated to, so fighting is already in me. I’ve never gotten into a real fight, but sparring or hitting a bag and getting everything out is something that’s therapeutic for me. We started with 87Eleven Action Design, which is probably the best stunt training facility there is, and they’ve been doing this a long time. I started training there a month before shooting the pilot; after I started working there, the cast of S.W.A.T. was sent in for the same training I had already started on my own. We’re pushing ourselves at all times, and things are turning out even better than we could have imagined.

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Lina Esco in S.W.A.T, which premieres November 2 on CBS.

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How does acting inform your activism and vice-versa?

In every role I’ve done, I always find the strong person inside the character. It’s all interconnected for me. If I have a chance to sit down with the writers and talk about my characters, I’m going to talk about what’s happening for women and how I want to portray strong characters. It’s about being aware of what’s happening in our time; I bring my thoughts and ambition and passion for every project.

What inspires your activism?

The Free the Nipple campaign came at a time when these stories weren’t trending, so I had to do something that would be disruptive. In America, you can use shock value—and I knew this idea would be a Trojan horse for a discussion about gender equality. Next is The Human Campaign; in 1923 Alice Paul was the author of the Equal Rights Amendment. But today we don’t have anything in our constitution that says that women are equal to men. Around the globe, 130 other countries have that kind of equality.

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What is The Human Campaign?

We’re tired of being divided. So, the Human Campaign is my most important campaign ever. It’s going to be just as disruptive as Free the Nipple but I’ll be able to get further in Washington, D.C. We’re going to make equality happen, and it’ll happen in my lifetime. I love acting, but activism is something that’s also in my nature. I can’t live without it.

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